PINCKNEY, MI–There is a near-universal love of the The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I think we can assume this because of the number of productions of stage versions every year, and the dozens of film version that have been produced.

I have a theory of why it is so popular, and has been so since the 19^th century. It’s the innate desire for good people to seek and find redemption for past sins and misdeeds. And it’s our envy that Scrooge found his in just one night.

The Dio Dining & Entertainment here is presenting Joe Zettelmaier’s Christmas Carol’d now through December 23^rd. Did I say this story is popular? The show is a sell-out before we even carve the Thanksgiving turkey.

There are several stage versions of the story, both straight platys and musicals. There have also been derivative plays, focusing on stories centered on Tiny Tim and Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchitt.

The traditional storytelling of Scrooge has been done, and is being done at The Meadow Brook, with huge scale and an army of actors. Christmas Carol’d honors Dickens’ original text, but makes the story fit in your watch-pocket by limiting the cast to six, with five of the cast members playing 40 characters. Dan Morrison plays Scrooge, and does so with his usual comedic but earnest aplomb.

What makes Zettlemaier’s version worthy of putting his name on Dickens’ work is that he highlights and plays out scenes often not dealt with much or at all in adaptations, as well as playing up more of Scrooge’s backstory than most versions. The playwright also indulges some of his questions about the original text as in when the cast debates whether a doornail is really the best metaphor for “dead.” Perhaps, as one says, could there be anything more dead than a “coffin nail.” The cast also goes back and forth between acting the characters and narrating the story—not a bad thing since the Dickens text is so well written even if Zettelmaier does some editing.

This version of Scrooge, as written, is less a re-imagining or fresh story, and more of a grooming of Dickens’ text and making different choices from the original novel than other adaptors. This version also incorporates some nice caroling–and singing traditional carols–under the music direction of Brian E. Buckner–done acapella by the talented cast that includes: Jared Bugbee, Angela Hench, Dara Pardon, Mike Sandusky, Emily Slomovits and Dante Justice.

There is nifty, throwback style stagecraft in the production wonderfully appropriate to 19th century theatre, such as shadow acting; the actors occasionally working behind a backlit sheet to show some of ghostly action. In an age of multi-media projections, it was interesting to see a device that was commonly used–with candle or lamplight–in Dickens’ time. The set, designed by Matthew Tomich, was a simple Christmas backdrop with a door at center stage to allow for entrances and exits, as well as a place for Scrooge to be in his bed.

The important aspect of Christmas Carol’d, directed by Steve DeBruyne, is that it is still the Dickens classic. Scrooge still finds his redemption in one night. Christmas is Christmas, Roast turkey is roast turkey (though the Dio’s excellent dinner that goes with the show features its signature fried chicken) and stuffing roasted inside the bird is always better than oven-baked in a casserole dish—no matter who says otherwise and whose Aunt Sadie warns of food poisoning.

If you want to see Christmas Carol’d, contact the Dio and get yourself on a waiting list.

The Dio Dining & Entertainment